Inspection Detail

Inspection: 305472292 - Cambro Mfg Co

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

On January 22, 2003, Employee #1, a maintenance tool technician, was handling an injection molding machine mold outside the tool room. The mold was already machined and repaired in the tool room and it was ready to be shipped. The mold weighed approximately 600 pounds and was in two halves. Each steel half was 24 in. by 36 in. and 2.5 in. thick. Employee #1 was handling the two halves of the mold with a floor-mounted hoist. The mold had four dowel pins in one half with matching holes in the other half. The dowel pins were "greased" after the machining operations. As the hoist lifted the entire mold (the two halves together, with one half being aligned by the dowel pins in the other half) Employee #1 was trying to place the mold on a pallet on the ground. When this was being done, there was an approximately 4-in. gap between the two halves of the mold. As Employee #1 tried to push the mold to place it on the pallet, the mold half without dowel pins slid back on the one having dowel pins. Employee #1's left index finger was trapped between two mold surfaces and the tip was amputated. Employee #1 was treated for his injuries but was not hospitalized.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, FINGER, CAUGHT BETWEEN, MOLD